Yard Butler IM-7C Spike Grass Aerator - Lawn Care Tool for Aerating - Long-Handled - Power-Coated Steel Construction - Comfortable Cushioned Handles Garden Tool - Easy to Use

I purchased this manual lawn aerator a couple of weeks ago after deciding (based on Amazon customer reviews) it would probably be the best choice for use in the clay soil my lawn grows in. When my soil is dry it is like concrete and when it's wet it is gooey and sticky. I waited for some rain to thoroughly moisten the soil into the root zone; knowing that there was no way I could effectively use the aerator when the soil was dry and hard. It is key to have the soil moist through the lawn's root zone, especially in clay soil. So far I have completed aerating the backyard portion of my lawn. Being a "dot-the-eyes-and-cross-the-tees" kind of guy, I tracked how much time it took me to do the backyard lawn, which was a total of 4 hours 25 minutes. Based on the square footage of my backyard, my production rate with the aerator was an average of approximately 325 square feet per hour (slower in the compacted areas, faster in the not-compacted areas). Even though I have clay soil, this tool worked very well to punch holes in the soil profile of my lawn. In those areas where the soil was most compacted it did require more serious downward pressure and effort with my foot (and some side-to-side wiggling) to get the 3-inch spikes all the way down into the soil. In the less compacted (or not compacted at all) areas the spikes went in to their full length with a minimum of downward foot pressure. I worked the entire backyard in parallel straight rows/columns, punching the row of 4 spikes at the recommended 6" to 8" apart (locating my parallel rows/columns about 3" to 4" apart). I found that is was easier to see where you'd punched your holes if the lawn was recently mowed. So far I have had no problems at all with this aerator after 4 hours 25 minutes of use. It is strongly constructed of steel with very sturdy, stout welds. The only thing I would change is to have it built maybe 3 or 4 inches longer (the total length of the tool is 36 inches). I am 6 feet tall and have to bend over a bit when using it, which causes me some back soreness after prolonged use (I'm 66 years old and my back isn't in tip-top shape any more). Using the aerator is a bit of a workout and can cause you to break into a sweat if it's warm outside. I'm very happy with this tool and will use it on my entire lawn, after which I will fertilize. Will its use improve the condition of my lawn? I think it will, but time will tell.

Good product, pleased with the purchase so far. Seems well-built, sturdy. Does what it is supposed to do. Because it just has 4 spikes, it will give you a workout if you do a large area. But good for small yards.

I just used this after thatching my lawn of all the dead roots and grass. After cleaning the soil, I watered the lawn. Only then did I use this aerator. Very simple to use. Just put your foot inside and step on the ground, and put your weight on it. I walked around my lawn with this. It was not back breaking work. It did not compact your soil as others have mentioned. If you watered the soil, and the soil is wet, it will put holes through the soil then pull up some soil. It loosened up my top soil. I then proceded to plant the grass seeds. After 1 week, grass has started growing and evenly too. My lawn is starting to look good, nice and green. I highly recommend this. Actually, the reason I bought this is because my neighbor has one, and he used it on his lawn. His lawn looks great, so I just followed his lead.

This is exactly what I expected and exactly what I wanted. The unit is sturdy and well built. It is extremely easy to use on my lawn (I have somewhat loamy soils, and we've had rain within the past two weeks, so conditions are admittedly ideal). Just step on the step plate to insert the spikes straight down into the soil and pull up on the padded handles. If you're going to be at it for a long time, wear gloves. If you have a sprinkler system, be sure you know where the sprinkler heads are before you start. By using this device to aerate a small portion of the lawn at a time, I will get the whole yard done by springtime without ever having to spend more than a few minutes at a time. I am looking forward to seeing if any get any visible improvement in the yard. In response to a few other reviews, it's hard for me to imagine how the tines could be broken off without great effort. Perhaps those reviewers have especially rocky soil or are using the tool in an inadvisable manner? I also don't see how this tool could possibly exacerbate soil compaction. It makes little holes a few inches deep and a few inches apart. That will allow oxygen, water, and lawn amendments to move downward into the soil, and open up space for roots to grow. The core aerators might be marginally better (mainly because they make a bigger hole), but I fully expect the spike aerator will improve conditions in very much the same manner (while making twice as many holes with each insertion), and this unit received better reviews for durability.

I have had the previous model of this aerator for 20 years. The old one had very stiff steel such that when you tilted the unit over after full insertion you could break up the ground/thatch so that more air gets to the roots. With the new unit I just received, when you bend over, the steel tynes now bend over. I just used it for 15 minutes of aeration and the center two tynes were bend 15 degrees from the normal. Had to put it in a vice and bend them back. This means that within a year, the soft metal will most likely break and new tynes will have to be welded in place. This is a very BAD thing. The old unit had ground tynes that formed needle sharp points. The new unit has stamped tynes that are not even round nor sharp. It is somewhat like a pyramid with a flat top and at the base of the pyramid the steel has been stamped so hard that the base is larger than the diameter of the tyne rods. This means you don't get easy penetration (like having to use 50% more foot-power to make the same 4 hole penetration in dry lawn. The really bad thing is that with the base of the pyramid being larger than the rod, that when you pull the aerator out of the ground that it generally pulls up the dirt like you had used a shovel to do the job. It ruins the top grass. BOTTOM LINE: to make this unit cheaper, they have used soft cheap steel which will work harden and break easily. The quality of the tips on the rods is so poor that it tears up the grass. I would not recoommend this product that current way it is manufactured.

There are so many reviews that claimed this yard tool will compact the soil, but I went ahead buying this for my yard. I calculated the if I use it with a little modification of stroke against the advice of the manufacturer, I will make a large hole in the ground almost equivalent to the exposed area of the other model with cylindrical holes. What I do is to jam this on the ground and then push the handle forward and backward before I pull it up to start another holes. The only portion of the holes that are compacted were the ends of strokes, the forward end and the backward end, while the two side of each hole have very little compaction. What I like is to collect the irrigation water into the ground, and not so much of aerating the soil in my yard. It worked so well for my front yard that is slopping toward the street like almost all homes in our neighborhood.

Good tool but does not pull carrots of dirt instead it pokes holes. It helps drainage in wet spots. Well made tool that should last several years.

True Value hardware has the best customer service that you will ever run across. UPS lost my initial order, and I communicated with TrueValue through Amazon, and they were very responsive, and replaced my initial order with overnight shipping. I was very impressed. They responded to my messages within just a few business hours. The aerator itself is very well built, and accommodates my size 12 shoe without any problem. I wish it was a bit taller, but I am 6'4", so I am used to things being a bit to short for me. I was very impressed with the quality of the build. Bare in mind that this does not cut cores, it just makes solid holes, and with just a litlle bit of rocking after each stab, it really opens up the soil to air and water.

I considered aerator shoes but I’m glad I got this tool instead of using the shoes. From what I’ve read, the shoes seem like a good idea until you sprain an ankle. I was worried this aerator wouldn’t make large enough or long-lasting holes but it did. It definitely takes a while to cover the ground evenly but it was easy to use after a rain (or if you soak the ground first with a hose, which is step 1 of the instructions). It’s actually sort of meditative once you get in a rythmn.

Used once so far on a small portion of my lawn and im very happy with it so far

It aerates the yard effectively and easily. It is the best of the choices. It works much better than the ones with the tubes. I recommend it.

Build is solid. It is also from a company from the US. Hopefully it will last until next year's lawn seeding.

Awesome product